Kickstarter

We are raising funds for the costumes of La Escuela de la Comedia y el Mimo. La Escuela de la Comedia y el Mimo is located in the town of Granada, Nicaragua.  It is both a professional circus troupe comprised of 10 young Nicaraguans and a chilren's circus school. The school began in 2001 as a project of Saperoco, a Venezuelan clown troupe. The original students, now in their early twenties, form the Core Group.  In 2008 the Core Group initiated a free, daily after-school program of circus arts that serves sixty at-risk children in the area of Granada. 

Over the years the Core Group has developed into a fully fledged and multitalented phenomenon.  Their performances include complicated acrobatics, juggling, diabolo, mime, and clowning.  However, as their skills have grown, so have their bodies, and they are unable to fit into the costumes they have used in the past.  The Children's School has also formed into a coordinated circus troupe and has begun to preform its own shows, making the need for costumes even more urgent. 

The Core Group have recently opened their own café/performance venue in downtown Granada, called the Mimo Comedia Café Theater.  In this venue they will be able to put on shows and build an artistic community space.  They now wish to look equally handsome and pretty as the beautiful space they have created.  What they are lacking at the moment is costumes! Costumes can create a visually cohesive group, make a show look professional, and boost the confidence of the performers.  Since the Core Group depends on their performances for their livelihoods and for the support of their social project, looking professional and well put together is incredibly important.  La Escuela de la Comedia y el Mimo will be collaborating with Olivia, a costume designer from the United States, who will be creating new, exciting, strange and outlandish costumes.  In the spirit of the school, we wish to make the costumes out of mostly recycled and post-consumer materials.  The troupe will be fully involved in the process of making the costumes, learning how to design, sew and repair the outfits that they wish to make.  We are hoping to raise enough money to buy sewing machines, an overlock machine, notions and fabric.  We thank you greatly for your support.